This invention relates to liquid treaters, as, for instance, gas and liquid separating apparatus, called degassers, of the type advantageously used in reconditioning drilling mud returned from an oil or gas well drilling operation.
Previous devices of this type have been bulky, heavy, complicated and expensive. Floats or overflows have been provided customarily to prevent drawing of liquid into the gas evacuation pump. My copending application Ser. No. 483,935, filed June 21, 1974, and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,930 which is a continuation of my application Ser. No. 404,399, filed Oct. 9, 1973, discloses and claims certain novel features of a simplified floatless degasser also disclosed in the present application for overcoming these disadvantages.
The main object of the present invention is to provide novel means to prevent liquid in a chamber from entering a suction source communicating with the chamber. Another object is to provide liquid treating apparatus, for instance, of the general type disclosed in said applications, with improved means for maintaining the treated liquid level in the chamber at or below a predetermined maximum or constant level.
Another object is to provide gas and liquid separating apparatus requiring the use of substantially less power than is required by the apparatus of said applications, yet which is equally effective as a degasser.